The Myth Of Sisyphus

The short story “The Myth of Sisyphus,” by Albert Camus, presents a paradox regarding imaginative freedom, in which it connects to the narrator’s internal conflict in ZZ Packer’s “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere.” In Camus’ story, the reader recognizes that Sisyphus is accepting of his fate as shown in the last lines, “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy,” (Camus, pg. 32). The idea that Sisyphus was to live life struggling with his punishment and being alone only with his thoughts, interacts well for Packer’s narrator as she posed to be ostracized and isolated with only her thoughts as the idea that freedom of mind is valued to be a key factor to happiness and/or contentness. This

I had a suicide single, and I wanted to keep it that way. No roommates, no visitors,” (Packer, pg. 45). She would even make it a point to keep a pyramid of ramen noodle packages so that she would never have to go to Commons, a place where students ate. “Aside from class, I have contact with no one,” (Packer, pg. 46). However, because of this, the narrator suffered from an identity crisis, as described by her psychiatrist. According to Dr. Raeburn, “You’re pretending… What I mean is that you construct stories about yourself and dish them out-one for you, one for you-,” (Packer, pg. 56). She was very insistent on being stubborn, in denial, and keeping her true emotions in. Because of this, the narrator could not show any signs of sympathy she to her friend Heidi, whose mother died of cancer. She already distinguished herself as someone who best lives being alone, free to have her own voice. In reality she has locked herself in, but has metaphorically been able to be locked out, being able to console truly to herself. This short story’s narrator’s struggles clearly demonstrates why it is preferable to be “locked out” than “locked in,” both literally and

Camus explains, “At each of those moments when he leaves the heights and gradually sinks toward the lairs of the gods, he is superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock,” (Camus, pg. 31). In other words, Sisyphus would struggle in meaningless manual labor by pushing the rock up. But when it is time for the rock to roll back down and him to restart the process, he uses those few moments to contemplate how he got to that point. Sisyphus has become conscious of his despicable situation and with certainty to his fate he does not possess faith. There is nothing left but to accept his fate and continue to live the rest of eternity with content. The gods may have been able to take control of his life and torture him physically for the rest of time, but the one thing they cannot ever try to take away is his ability to think for himself. He is able to gain “absurd victory. According to Camus, “One does not discover the absurd without being tempted to write a manual of happiness,” (Camus, pg. 31). Once Sisyphus is able to understand how the higher fidelity negates the gods and raises the rocks, he notes that all is well. This means that without a master (the gods,) no obstacle can seem either “sterile or futile.” Therefore, he was able to accept and be